Press Releases
Year
Radon Gas Causes More Than 20,000 Lung Cancer Deaths in the Country Each Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2020
Contact
Jennifer Schroeder
Environmental Health Specialist II
(217) 531-2929 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Radon Gas Causes More Than 20,000 Lung Cancer Deaths in the Country Each Year and Forty-Eight Percent of Homes Tested in Champaign County Have High Radon Levels
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Citizens to Test Their Homes with a Radon Test Kit
CHAMPAIGN, IL – January is National Radon Action Month and the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) encourages citizens to learn more about the threat of radon and to test their homes for the presence of radon. CUPHD has radon test kits available for $6.00. Test kits may be picked up at the Environmental Health Division of CUPHD located at 201 West Kenyon Road in Champaign; kits are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. A free t-shirt is also available with purchase while supplies last.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to indoor radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas released into the air from decaying matter in rocks, soil and water. While levels in outdoor air are relatively harmless, radon can accumulate to dangerous levels inside buildings. Radon is an invisible threat; it cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. The only way to detect radon is to perform a radon test.
The test kits provided by CUPHD are safe and easy to use. Simply open the test kit and place the radon detector in a designated area in the home for a minimum of 48 hours, with windows and doors closed. After 48 hours, place the detector in the enclosed postage-paid envelope and send it to a lab for a free analysis. The lab will then inform you of your radon test results.
Radon is measured in picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L). The EPA recommends that homes with radon levels of 4 pCi/L or higher should be mitigated. Nationally the average home reading is about 1.3 pCi/L. The average outdoor reading is about 0.4 pCi/L. Forty-eight percent of homes tested in Champaign County have high radon levels.
Radon presents a serious health risk, but it can be controlled easily and cost-effectively. If a high radon level is detected in your home, you can take steps to fix the problem to protect yourself and your family. Test your home and protect your health today.
For more information on radon or radon test kits for your home, please contact CUPHD at (217) 373-7900 or visit CUPHD on the web at HYPERLINK https://www.c-uphd.org/radon.
CUPHD also recommends schools test their buildings since kids and teachers spend a majority of their time at school. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) has a School Screening Program available to help schools with the cost of performing radon testing. According to the IEMA website, “To reduce the cost to school districts for the radon tests, the Illinois School Code allows school district employees to complete an online training course approved by IEMA in order to perform screening measurements in their district school buildings. By using a trained school district employee to conduct the tests, districts won't have the expense of hiring a licensed radon measurement contractor.”
For more information on the School screening program, please visit https://www.illinois.gov/iema/NRS/Radon/Pages/SchoolScreeningProgram.aspx or contact Patrick Daniels at IEMA, HYPERLINK
The American Lung Association, working with IEMA, is having their annual radon awareness poster and video contests.
Last year, “Students from across the state recently used their creative talents to increase public awareness about the health hazards of radioactive radon gas in homes. More than 300 posters and nearly 150 thirty-second YouTube videos were submitted to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the American Lung Association (ALA) for consideration in the annual contests,” according to the IEMA website.
The link to last year’s winners of the poster and video contests (video and pictures included) is: https://www2.illinois.gov/iema/NRS/Radon/Pages/RadonContest.aspx
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Summer Food Service Program Starts Tomorrow
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 29, 2019
Contact
Brandon Meline, Director of MCH
(217) 531-4308 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Summer Food Service Program Starts Tomorrow
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Hosts Summer Food Program Providing Free Meals to Children
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) is hosting the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) again this year beginning Thursday, May 30. The program provides free meals throughout the summer months when children are not in school.
SFSP is sponsored by the Illinois State Board of Education and will run through mid-August. All meals are free to children ages 1 – 18 regardless of income or residency. The following times and locations will be available:
CUPHD lobby located at 201 W. Kenyon Road in Champaign
Breakfast is served from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM and lunch from 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM, Monday through Friday Mobile sites
Tuesdays 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, beginning June 11, at Crestview Park in Urbana (with Urbana Park District activities)
Thursdays 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, beginning June 14, at Victory Park in Urbana (with Urbana Park District activities)
Fridays 2:00 – 4:00 PM outside Dollar Tree in Urbana, with Sola Gratia holding a pay-what-you-can market
“The Summer Food Service Program is a very important program. Many children get most of their nutrient intake from school food service nine months out of the year and it can be a challenge for some families during the summer. We are very pleased to be able to provide this service when school is out,” according to Brandon Meline, Director of Maternal and Child Health.
The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District proudly sponsors programs such as these to help children learn and grow. For more information on programs like this or other available services, visit www.c-uphd.org.
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Women’s Health Expo
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2019
Contact
Brandon Meline, Director of MCH
(217) 531-4308 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Women’s Health Expo
Free Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Expo
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD), along with the University of Illinois
School of Social Work and via PCORI funding, (Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute), is hosting a
Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Expo on Saturday, March 30, 2019. The event will be held at the Champaign Public Library, Robeson Ballrooms A, B, and C, located at 200 W. Green Street in Champaign from 10:00 AM – Noon.
The health expo will highlight available information and resources as well as speakers discussing birth, pregnancy, perinatal depression, and health policy. Refreshments and prizes will also be provided. This event is free and open to the public.
“CUPHD has long been screening for perinatal depression, but only recently has there been more success in establishing an expanded network of providers and resources for those affected in the C-U and surrounding areas. Many more women suffer from some level of perinatal depression or anxiety that can negatively affect pregnancy and parenting, than the public is aware of, and this ongoing project is an effort to destigmatize these feelings and provide an exposition of local resources that community members can learn about,” said Brandon Meline, CUPHD Director of Maternal and Child Health.
Identifying Depression through Early Awareness (IDEA) research project aims to improve maternal health through early identification of risk factors during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The IDEA Women’s Health Coalition integrates input from patients, researchers, mental health providers, and primary care providers to develop CER (comparative effectiveness research) questions.
For more information, visit HYPERLINK https://www.c-uphd.org.
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